Ace Attorney Paradox of Expansion- Case 1: Bittersweet Turnabout (P1)
by Hetastuck-Karkamericat
Summary: A year ago something happened unable to be explained by science let alone magic. A collision of many different universes brings together many people from many different places, and starts a chain of events that cannot be undone. Phoenix finds himself right in the middle of the chaos, and his introduction to what sort of things he should expect isn't so pleasant.


There were many strange occurrences that had happened that week. The news being flooded with reports on falling stars, sudden climatic changes, and more than enough missing person cases. But all that wasn't the main problem for Phoenix at that point in time, for he was running late.

As quickly as his legs could carry him he briskly walked down the sidewalk, passing people by while he tried to avoid bumping into them. Although he was in a rush, he was still quite occupied. While he walked he had his phone pressed to his cheek while he tried to explain to Athena why in the world he was late.

"No, it's not that it's just the fact that I couldn't find my phone. I have it now and I'm on my way, that's all that matters now…" He said as he walked.

"Alright but do hurry before anything gets too crazy here." Athena replied. Phoenix grunted a response and stepped out into the street to cross as he hung up. If only he had been looking up at that point in time. Before he could react, a car came speeding out of nowhere and rammed into him head on. The sudden impact winded Phoenix and sent him flying a few feet away. Pain pulsed throughout his body as he skid to a stop on the side of the street.

In too much pain to move, he saw a shadow pass over him. He looked up and saw a glare from a pair of pointed teal glasses staring down at him from a darkened silhouette of a woman with a cane, some of the light caught on a wicked grin upon her face, complete with pointed teeth.

"You have the right to remain silent." She said as she stood up straight and held up her cane.

"Wha-" Phoenix was cut off as the mysterious person brought their cane down on his head, knocking him out. The pain was sudden, but quick. It was enough time for the mysterious woman gather him up from the side of the road and carry him off, everyone too afraid to approach her or reciprocate to her actions.

What seemed like only seconds later to Phoenix was a few hours in real life. When he came to, he was shrouded in cold empty darkness. The only thing he could feel was the chair he was seated on and a set of tight ropes that bound him to it. Shifting around he tried to get any sort of clue that would tell him where he was. There was nothing but the seemingly endless darkness.

"Whatever brought me here must be trying to scare me… And unfortunately it's working." He thought to himself as his eyes darted around for any source of light or any sense of movement.

"Court is now in session!" A voice boomed from ahead, then the sound of a gavel hitting a table ricocheted throughout the space. Overhead a large spotlight came of life with a bright blinding light illuminating Phoenix, the table in front of him, and a strangely colored woman with the same cane that had knocked him out.

"We're so glad you're up Mr. Wright. Now tell me, what do you plead?" She asked, the light of the spotlight catching on her glasses hiding whatever eye color she would have beneath them.

Her skin was a rosy pink with her hair matching the color of her glasses. The one thing that complete her look of red and teal was not only the long red and teal striped socks she wore, but also the bow that went sweetly in her hair. The knot of the bow seemed to be a hard cherry candy complete with a stem. The one thing that stood out the most other than her ridiculous appearance though, was the fact that she had teeth like knives, and two pointed pink, devil-like horns that stuck out of her hair. It was quite terrifying to have her being the first thing he saw after being able to see once again.

"What sort of twisted court is this?" He thought. It was most likely best not to ask the question out loud, since he was fearful of what the answer would be.

"Well, what is it?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

"I do believe my client is not guilty, miss um… Prosecutor…" He mumbled nervously as he watched a grin creep upon her face once again.

"I'm afraid you don't have a client this time. But I am the prosecutor of this trial so I'm pleased to say you got that one thing right," She beamed as she took a step forward toward the table he was seated in front of. "Now, what do you plead?"

The sudden realization hit Phoenix almost as hard has the car did earlier. Pain from earlier suddenly returned in a large wave.

"I-I'm the client…? I have to defend myself…" He stuttered out shrinking down into the ropes that held him into the chair. The prosecutor woman laughed and shook her head in slight disbelief.

"See, now you're getting it." She said with a smile.

"Whatever you brought me here for, I can tell you for certain I'm not guilty." He said trying to sound confident.

"Hm, you were on such a good winning streak and now you faulted that. I feel so silly about not telling you what you're here for. You've been charged with numerous counts of trying to keep peace. You have been ordered here by his Tyranny to face your just punishment." She said, seemingly staring into his eyes as she spoke.

"Keeping the peace? What sort of crime is that? If anything it's the opposite!" Phoenix exclaimed, suddenly becoming fearful of what she had in store for him.

"We don't want you trying to keep up making things harmonious, keeping everything in check, making sure everything is in… Balance." She finished leaning forward on the table with the light still caught on her glasses. Phoenix was very astonished at what she had just said, the thought of trying to keep peace being some sort of crime was odd and slightly frightening. Then again, the whole experience was.

"I don't think I understand... Why is this suddenly a crime?" He asked, searching her face for any source of the glare he was feeling from somewhere. Oddly enough, while the fact that she was facing him and looking directly at him was obvious, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched by something else. Or that she might not have even looking at him at all.

"It is a crime punishable by no law, none. Only the fact that people that enforce those dreadful laws, or defend them, make them, try to make order, are to be snuffed out. Preferably in an ironic way, it makes it all the more funnier." She said standing up straight and smiled at him as she turned her back to the table.

Phoenix still felt utterly confused. He felt the urge to ask many questions about what she had just said and what she had in store for him, but he was a little afraid to ask.

"It j-just doesn't make any sense..." He said in a quieter tone.

"That's the point! Nothing is supposed to make sense. It's a shame a lot of things do though." She paced forward, her cane held in her hands behind her back.

"So if I'm correct... Then I'm being punished for helping people, and enforcing the law?" He asked sitting up slightly, trying to seem confident in what he was saying.

"Yes! That's right, you got it right." She whipped around as she said it, causing Phoenix to flinch slightly. While he hadn't the slightest idea about what was going on, he would probably just have to roll with it unless something went awry.

"I... I suppose I can't exactly plead innocence for trying to help people... Or trying to keep the balance... But it's what I do! This is unjust, punishing someone for helping people isn't right." He said with as much confidence as he could muster. The prosecutor's smile faded into a look of annoyance and malice. Perhaps he preferred her smile rather than the glare he was getting now. He shivered causing pain to pulse through his body again, the ropes constraining him not helping the situation.

"Guilty. It has been decided then." She said lifting her head up slightly allowing the light to smoothly shift across her glasses.

"This is crazy! Insane! I don't even know your name and you've put me on trial for something no one should be guilty for." Phoenix exclaimed. He immediately regret it, for she had begun to grin once again.

"We do things differently around here. Peace and order is frowned upon. Justice is a crime. Balance is considered a sin. I am as everyone else in here besides you are, we are Trickster. You want to know my name? It's Terezi. Trickster Terezi." She pushed up her glasses as she finished, continuing to conceal her eye color behind a glare. But what was the fact she had said "we" and "everyone else" made it quite clear that she wasn't the only multicolored psychopath.

With no clear way to escape, and with as much pain he was in, Phoenix decided it was probably best to let her do her worst. He at least hoped she would make it quick so he wouldn't have to suffer. Though like likelyhood of that seemed to be left in the dark.

"Although it may seem like something I wouldn't do at this point I'm willing to give you a fair chance. Your fate will be decided by coin flip, so really there's a "50/50" chance you will make it out. But my sight isn't 20-20 at it's best." She said as she turned away and walked a short distance away from the table. Fifty-fifty didn't sound all that great, but at least his chances were even. He was again struck by misfortune, as he had misheard her last sentence, hearing it more so along the line of "Hindsight is 20-20 at best."

"Heads I win, tails I lose?" He questioned tilting his head to the side to see what Terezi was fumbling around in her hand.

"Heads I win, tails you lose. Tis my coin and I shall decide who gets what with it." She said sternly, snapping her head to the side a little as she did. Turning back around she rested her weight on one leg with her cane in her hand, while she flipped a silver coin with another. Catching the coin midair with a swipe of her hand she threw her cane up in the air as the coin came down in her hand. Swiftly, she caught the handle and swiped it over to Phoenix. The staff made a quick swipe sound as she lashed it out towards him causing him to jump slightly from the sudden movement.

"It's time to decide your fate, sir lawyer." She said with a mocking tone. Spinning her cane in her hand she brought it back to her side then tapped it twice on the ground. Suddenly without warning Phoenix was released from his binds, the chair seemingly evaporated from out underneath him, being replaced by a pedestal under his feet and ropes around his wrists and a noose around his neck.

His heart pounded as he shifted his wrists around in his new binds, and lifted his head up a little to avoid the rope around his neck as much as possible. He could feel his entire body shaking with fear which only caused the pain from before to greaten. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something else hanging from a rope. It was a stuffed toy dragon dressed up to look like him, complete with a small badge on the lapel almost identical to his own. The sight of it hanging by the rope only greatened his fears.

"I-I thought y-you said my chances were 50/50." He stuttered out with a shaky breath. His confidence had drained away entirely leaving his feeling as if he were a shell of his former self.

"Oh, they are. But if you do lose you'll have a swift death," Terezi said with a quick smile. "May the odds be with whatever they please." At that she flipped the coin into the air in a near perfect arch towards the table. With a few bounces it landed on the table with a dull metallic clank. Spinning for a few seconds it landed a side with a gashed head on its surface. Even though it was a head, it probably meant tails to her since the other side had a head as well. He had gotten a short glimpse of it when it landed on the table.

"T-tails… Well I guess I'm safe then." He said feeling relief spread through him as he relaxed slightly.

"How do I know you're not lying?" She asked as she turned back to the table, the coin right under her in plain sight.

"I… Um…The coin though it..." Phoenix was unable to respond fully, as he began to feel uneasy once again.

"Coin? The prosecutor sees no coin." She said as she turned her back to him.

"I-it's right there… isn't it…" He stuttered. Suddenly she whipped around, swiping her glasses off her face revealing her two solid red eyes she kept hidden under them.

"The prosecutor sees no coin, for she is blind you fool!" She shouted with a wild grin on her face. Phoenix flinched away again, looking at her eyes along with her grin. It was no wonder why he could feel the glare wasn't coming from her, even now he could feel it was from a lot more sources. Snapping back to attention from the trance-like he was in at the sound of a gavel on wood, he frantically searched around for the source of the noise.

"And so it be the final verdict: guilty, guilty, much very guilty." A voice boomed.

"Wait-" Was all Phoenix was able to shout before he was silenced by the rope around his neck as the floor gave way beneath him. Gagging and seeing his life flash before his eyes, he thought whatever he had done to deserve this kind of fate. Through the whole commotion of it all nobody heard the sound of footsteps fast approaching the spot light.

"Hold it!" A voice similar to Trickster Terezi's called out, and then as quickly as that happened the rope suspending Phoenix was suddenly broken causing him to fall. Collapsing to the ground he gasped for air, feeling a burning sensation on his neck where the rope was. Holding onto the table he pulled himself up and looked around for whomever had reduced him.

Trickster Terezi was on the ground, her cane out of reach to her, and a more dully colored woman standing over her with a blade to her neck. It was hard to tell what she looked like from the front, for her back was to the table.

"You have a lot of nerve. Give me one good reason to let you go rather than kill you right now." The newcomer said with a stern voice.

"Even if though you want to I know you won't. You know the exact repercussions for that action." The trickster said grinning up at her without a hint of fear.

"There's only two of you sugar coated ass holes in this room, I can only smell two of you!" The woman growled putting the blade closer to her throat.

"Then do your worst, but you know what will happen if I die." Trickster Terezi sneered.

"Her name is Trickster Terezi if that's any help to you... Ma'am..." Phoenix said as audibly as he could, though it was very breathy.

"I know her name, we share it. Though she usually takes it in vain." There was an obvious scowl to her voice, and her grip on her cane tightened a little. The Trickster stuck her bright pink tongue out at her, which then caused her to swiftly put her cane back together and bring it down upon her head quite hard, knocking her out and sending a small spatter of teal to spray onto the floor.

"T-thank you... Trickster Terezi is it? If you share that name like you said..." Phoenix nearly muttered with his weight rested heavily on the table.

"Just Terezi," She unsheathed a blade and turned to him, the glare caught on the pair of red glasses she wore. "Terezi Pyrope." She smiled slightly and went over to him. As carefully as she could, she cut the ropes that bound his wrists together though she did cut him a little.

"Are you okay, Nick?" She asked as she helped him up.

"I should be fine. But how do you know my name?" He asked rubbing his wrists to relieve the pain. She sheathed her blade and handed him her cane.

"I won't go too into the details, but I'm a big fan of you. I'll explain more later, use my cane to walk out, but I need you to be my eyes. I can't really find my way through the dark, I only found you from the sound of your choking." She explained, then put a hand on his shoulder. Phoenix nodded then began to make his way through the darkness.

The spotlight provided some light so they were able to find a thin slit of light coming from what seemed to be a door. As soon as it was seemingly in range a shadow crossed over the slit, blocking their path.

"I'm 'fraid I not gonna let ya leave here alive." Said the shadowy figure. It resembled the same loud voice that had acted as an invisible judge-like entity in the twisted court, and carried the same near grammar-less dialect as well.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Terezi yelled at them.

"Silly I am right under 'ur nose," They said playfully. A small gust of wind along with the flapping sound of a cloak came from the door and a small light appeared on the floor illuminating the one who stood in front of them. "You see me now?"

Terezi sniffed the air then recoiled a bit pulling Phoenix back with her. The being that stood in front of them bore longer, rainbow striped and curved horns that stuck cleanly out of a wavy mass of the same multi-colored hair. His skin was unnaturally white, as white as the t-shirt he wore bearing a symbol of fluorescent colored shapes which formed a house. The pants he wore seemed to pulse with color in the dull light. Although he looked more ridiculous than the trickster from before, the only thing more horrifying than Trickster Terezi's solid red eyes, was the fact that this trickster's eyes were a full rainbows with pure white pupils dotting the middle.

Terezi put her arm over Phoenix in a protective stance, then sneered at him and said "We're not here to play any more of your games you demon."

"Oh that a shame then, innit? I had so much plans for you two." He smiled and rested a hand on his cheek.

"Wait, this is all just a game to you?" Phoenix asked a little astonished.

"Of course! Everything a game if you believe. Obviously the two you lack that imagination." He was quite the character with varied expressions, going from a cheeky grin to a smug smile as he eyed the two of them.

"Everything is a game to them, Phoenix…" Terezi muttered to him.

"Lookie, I like you two. Bu-t I can't just let both of you go without someone paying with life. So, we can play the choosing game, and I go first," He hummed smiling cheerfully. Reaching behind his back he produced two ropes, each with a stuffed toy hanging at a noose at the end of them. "I choose Mr. Feenie to make the next choice."

Phoenix looked at the two stuffed toys, they were dragons that looked similar to the one that hung next to him before. One bore the unsettling resemblance to his friend, Miles Edgeworth. The other dragon looked like Terezi, wearing similar red glasses and red shoes on the end of its feet.

"I'm not sure I understand…" Phoenix said as he eyed the dragons.

"I guess I not make it clear then," Butting the rear end of the Terezi-dragon with his knee, Phoenix felt her presence leave him suddenly. "You pick between friends,T-rez or Mr. Edgy-worthless."

Phoenix glanced around frantically to see where Terezi had gone, his grip on her cane tightened significantly. Behind him he saw her on a platform similar to the one he had been on, the dull light illuminating most of it. Her hands were tied behind her back and a noose tied around her neck. Panic was obvious on her face as she shuddered in the spot she stood, almost in a trance-like state.

Glancing back over at the trickster before him, he could make a good guess that he would be either choosing one to live or die.

"Why are you doing this...?" Phoenix asked.

"Ya see, I grew some kind of fondness of u. But, I still want 'ta make you see what power I got over ya. Now who'll it b?" He responded swinging the ropes gently back and forth.

"Phoenix, I'm sorry you had to go through this so suddenly and out of the blue... Just pick me, I promise everything will be okay." Terezi said.

"No, I just met you I can't just let you die. There's got to be another way!" Phoenix almost shouted. He felt very pressured at that moment, there had to be another way. The trickster was swinging the Terezi dragon back and forth like a pendulum, it was as if he was muttering "tick-tock" as he did so.

"You need to trust me." She replied sternly.

"No, I've got it," Phoenix said turning back to the trickster as she groaned from frustration slightly. "I choose myself." The trickster giggled and swung the rope that the Terezi dragon was on in a full circle. One it stopped swinging he saw that it's appearance had shifted to look like the dragon doll dressed like him which he had seen before hanging on the rope next to him from before.

"While the idea of it is pretty gud… I'm real sorries I can't let ya do that either!" He said playfully. "One or the other, but not 'urself." His smug look had returned from before and he had placed his hands on his hips. The bottoms of the toys almost touching the ground. Why he was acting so confident and letting him go was a mystery only for a few seconds, until Phoenix realized why he was doing this.

"The only reason you want me to do this is so I can live with the guilt… Isn't it?" Phoenix breathed as he looked at the Edgeworth dragon.

"You gots a guilty verdict. So if death ain't an option for ya, then we let you live with guilt of letting someone die a death." He said looking directly into Phoenix's eyes causing him to shiver slightly.

"If you trust me on this Phoenix, you'll pick me. I promise everything will be fine," Terezi said lightly, "you and Miles get to live, and that's all that really matters at this point." He felt as if he could throw up at any moment, the heaviness he felt in his stomach from how much guilt he had was nauseating. Even if he had just met her he felt that he couldn't just let her die. But now, he had to listen to someone, for it was as if his voice of logic and reason was silenced by the thousands of thoughts that swarmed his head.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock-" The trickster sneered, before being interrupted by a pained voice.

"Fine. I… I choose Terezi…" Phoenix inwardly cringed at how broken his voice sounded.

The last he saw of her was her satisfied grin before the floor gave out below her feet and she plummeted into the ground. A choked scream tore through the expanse. Only after the demon-like creature gave him a weird but satisfied look did Phoenix realize that it was his own, and promptly shut up. A new thought stood out loudly more than any other now, he had killed her. Maybe he should have trusted Edgeworth, he had his ways of getting out of situations he didn't want to be in. It seemed like he would have been more likely to live than any chance his new friend had.

"Free Edgeworth. Now." he ordered letting his pitch drop dangerously low, his statement barely louder than a whisper.. This maniac along with Trickster Terezi capturing him was one thing, capturing an innocent girl and Edgeworth, and killing that girl was a whole different subject.

"Hoo hoo, you thinked we had your precious Miles?" the rainbow eyed freak gasped with feigned emotion. "Well I sorry to say you wrong Wright, hoo hoo! Two bad for you tho."

"Yeah, like I'd believe that. I don't want to repeat myself again. Free Edgeworth now." He uttered a bit louder.

"Ah ahh ah, now you think I'm lyin', aren't you? I'd go get moving on if I were u. Wouldn't that be ah-absolute shame if T-rez's sacrifice be in vain." He tapped the side of his cheek with his index finger while his other hand supported his elbow, and his weight rested on one foot.

"Graah!" Phoenix took a step forward to let the trickster have a piece of his mind, but almost tripped without the cane bearing all of his weight. He was in no shape to do anything, not after being beat up like he had been. The trickster looked down upon him with his hands returned to his hips as well as the smug look upon his face Phoenix now resented.

Pushing himself up, the trickster smiled gleefully and stepped aside to let him pass. The door opened a little more, allowing more light to enter the hollow area. Sunlight illuminated the hanging form of Terezi as he turned his head slightly to look at her before he left. The sight was more than heart-wrenching. Tears nearly formed in the corners of his eyes, but he fought them back and turned back to the door.

"I'm… I'm sorry Terezi," he mumbled before he started dragging himself towards the exit.

"Have day!" Phoenix heard behind him, to which he replied with a heavy groan before hobbling out of the exit into the world outside. The door shut behind him slowly and closed tightly with a soft click, there was no getting back in there again.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the new light, he looked around to survey his surroundings, it was all simply just nature. No buildings, no lights, nothing but natural and lush surroundings. A single dirt road that led to the metal and concrete building that held him for the past few hours. It also held Terezi hanging by a rope forever now.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement amongst the trees. It could have been an animal, but as soon as he had seen whatever it was it seemingly vanished. Shrugging away the thought of whatever was there, he began to make his way down the road. The sun was still high in the sky and a cool breeze blew through the trees as he hobbled down the road, the birds chirping being the only sound he was focused on.

A swift breeze passed in front of him as well as a shadow, just barely noticeable from the shade of the trees. Phoenix looked down at his feet where a colorful coin had been placed. It surely wasn't there before, he would have noticed it's fluorescent colors long before he had come within a few inches of it. Glancing around cautiously to see if there was anyone nearby, he bent over to pick it up when he noticed no one.

With the near silent metallic swish of a blade cutting its way through the air, he felt someone move up quickly behind him. Slowly he stood up then stopped suddenly when he felt the end of a blade against his back.

"Hmf. Figures I could distract you with some money, it's all you lawyers care about nowadays. Now, don't move or else this blade will be deeper than just the surface of your clothing. Tell me what you're doing with my friend's cane." He heard someone say behind him. Frozen stiff with fear again, he realized that whomever had the blade to his back had a similar voice to the trickster whom had trapped him in that building.

"She gave it to me… I thought you saw that happen… And then you let me go I…" Phoenix choked on his words again as he gripped the coin and the cane tighter in his hands.

"No, I didn't see that happen and I don't plan on letting you go until I get a clear answer." The man replied. He spoke with more sense, and his voice carried more of a serious tone rather than a playful one.

"I-I was in that building up the road… Terezi helped me escape but…" His voice faltered out at the end of his sentence.

"So you had an encounter with the tricksters then…" The man said. Phoenix felt the tip of the blade leave his back, soon thereafter he pushed himself up straight using the cane and turned around with the coin in hand. Phoenix nearly jumped back from fear when he saw who had confronted him.

The man who had once stood behind him had a very similar appearance to Terezi's. Other than the fact that the shapes of his horns were curved just like the demon he had met at the door, his hair was shorter and formed into soft fluffs around his head. Another difference he had was two sharp fangs protruding from his mouth, as well as his green shoes and a house-shape that looked exactly like the one on the trickster's shirt, only it was all green. The sword that he had confronted Phoenix was nowhere to be seen on his person, which brought up some questions he would have to ask later.

"Oh uhm… Yes… I did…" Phoenix responded after realizing there had been an awkward silence between the two of them for quite some time. He held out his hand and offered the coin to the strange man who simply shook his head and notioned for him to keep it.

"You can have the boondollar, I've got a lot more than just that one. Actually a lot more… But that's not what's important right now. I need to know where Terezi is." He responded, concern obvious in his voice.

"She didn't make it out… They hung her before we could escape." Phoenix muttered as he glanced down at her cane.

"You're saying that they hung her? Then all we need to do is wait. I know her tricks, and I'm sure she'll come back." He said patting Phoenix's shoulder lightly.

"How do you know that? She was on that rope long enough for her to be dead!" Phoenix said quite loudly. A few birds fluttered off deeper into the woods.

"I've known her a lot longer than you, a few sweeps- I mean, years, longer. She can get her way out of that kind of situation. It was her way of acting and being dramatic when the time called for it and I'm very glad that it works in this situation too. I can explain more to you on the way to the car, I feel as if you haven't been caught up on all the things that have happened a year ago." he said as he walked up next to Phoenix and began to support the side in which the cane couldn't.

"What do you mean? I'm so confused right now… And I don't even know your name. That seems to be a bit of a problem for me recently, nobody telling me who the heck they are." Phoenix said as they made their way down the trail.

"I'm telling you I'm going to explain everything to you! Calm your tits." He glanced back up to him as he responded, then looked back down the trail leading out of the woods.

"I don't… I guess it's a little vain to argue with you…" Phoenix began to say, then mumbled the rest.

"Damn straight. Right now you're in no real state to do that kind of mental work right now anyway. But since you're so curious and since I'll be the one driving you to the hospital I guess it's worth telling you who I am. My name is Homestuck, Homestuck Whatpumpkin. I know my name probably sounds really ridiculous to you, but my dad gave me that name when I was created." Homestuck said. Phoenix looked down at him, he was a little shorter than him and his nails seemed to be painted yellow.

"I don't mean to be rude but… You don't exactly look human…" Phoenix said trying to break the awkward silence.

"Hm? Oh, it's because I'm not." Homestuck replied glancing up at him. Phoenix felt his heart lurch a little, even if he realized there wasn't much to be afraid of with him. At least he hoped that was the case.

"What are you then" Phoenix asked.

"I can give it to you bluntly, I'm a troll. A complete alien to Earth." He said smiling slightly.

"An alien?!" He exclaimed.

"Yup. Almost everything about me is alien. My horns, my skin, my eyes. It's all real too. You can try to pull my horns off my head but they won't come off and I really suggest you don't touch my horns at all." He said glancing up at him once again.

"How come?" he asked eyeing the smooth surface of his horns. To him they sort of looked like giant curved candy corn kernels. In fact the temptation to touch them suddenly seemed to greaten.

"Do you want the short version or the lengthy one?" Homestuck asked with a slight look of annoyance on his face.

"Short?"

"Horns are like nipples in the sense of arousal. Don't touch my horns or I will cut you." He said sternly.

"Oh…" It wasn't the answer Phoenix was expecting, but it was an answer either way. They made their way out of the woods after some time after that and came to a small circular clearing where a silver sports car was parked next to a large field with tall grass. It looked like a BMW in some respects, though the brand was not clear.

The licence plate read out "DOITSU" with various flags from different countries hanging by a chain on the rear-view mirror. The car itself was some sort of sports-like vehicle which looked new and very powerful. Homestuck walked him over to the car and sat him down on the hood then hopped up next to him and looked off into the woods.

"So, what do you want to know?" Homestuck said a few minutes of awkward silence. It seemed to be a recurring pattern with them. An awkward conversation followed by an even more awkward silence that followed after it had ended.

"I'm guessing there's a lot to tell… So if it's possible to keep it as simple as possible, I want to know what happened a year ago." Phoenix said looking over at him.

"It's a little long winded, but I can start off as simple as possible. A year ago an event happened that was a constant between multiple worlds, and it couldn't be stopped either. That event was called the Merge, and when that happened worlds that had little to no likeness were somehow brought together and formed one larger singular universe. A week after that happened many people began to realize that the world wasn't the same as it was, everything was off. If I'm allowed to say, everyone now lives in a world where some magic is science and some science is magic." Homestuck began to explain.

He explained how there were people who were researching how the Merge happened exactly, why it happened, and what it might lead to in the future. The Earth also looked very different as well, meaning it was bigger than the original and it had a large purple crack down the middle of the eastern hemisphere. The end of the week after the Merge, the internet had partially come to reality with the help of advanced technology that was developed during his time there. The whole concept of different realities coming together as one was mind boggling and confusing to Phoenix.

"So… Let me get this straight… There was a large event that happened that fused different realities together, changed the way the universe works, changed the way Earth looks, and a week after that the Internet came to reality too?" Phoenix tried to sum up what he had heard.

"Well it didn't change the way the universe works. Physics are pretty much the same, magic from the other worlds are still keeping each other in balance, the crack is still a mystery to me, but everything is pretty much correct." Homestuck replied.

"My head hurts a little from all this information…" Phoenix muttered.

"Don't think about it too much. Just know everything's different and everyone is still getting used to it. You'll get it eventually." Homestuck said. Phoenix sighed heavily and let his head sink a little as he stared at the ground. Homestuck looked over at him with a questioning glance.

"You look upset, what's wrong?" He asked leaning forward a little in an attempt to make eye contact.

"I just feel so out of place in this whole situation... " He muttered, "All these exciting things have happened and I didn't know about it at all. If anything the weirdest things that have happened to me have all happened just during this week. The closest thing to any magic I've experienced in my life was spirit mediums channeling ghosts and a spiritually charged stone helping me through cases."

"Hey don't feel so bad about it! If it makes you feel better a lot of the worlds that were mixed in with this whole thing came from different points in time, so there's a lot of temporal pockets all over this planet where time flows differently. The only reason I know this is because I'm friends with a lot of people who have a deep understanding how time works. I even know I few people who have a pretty good understanding of scientific things and other things that involve physics and interstellar workings, and I feel as if they might be able to work with those people who have the understanding of time and work together to understand why all this happened in the first place. I know you're probably distraught about it all but you shouldn't worry about it so much. I can't promise everything will be fine, but I can promise that one day you'll have a somewhat understanding of how things work now. Hell, maybe even a better understanding than I do." Homestuck preached. If it hadn't been the sincerity in his voice, Phoenix would have thought that whole thing was rehearsed.

"If you really mean it… Then I believe you." Phoenix replied. Homestuck smiled sweetly and patted him on the back gently.

"Now, on another subject you brought up earlier of ghosts." He said as his smile faded to a more curious look.

"What about them? Sometimes they can be helpful you know. A few actually helped me with a few cases, and I even use their power to see when someone's lying." Phoenix replied. Homestuck laughed and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, which rolled off his finger green.

"If I've ever heard of ghosts having those kinds of powers then you can paint me white and call me human. But of course I'm referring to my own art style, no racial slurs intended. Lord knows with it being somewhere around 2015-16 people get offended by anything." He said as he adjusted himself a little.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean to say that you can't talk to ghosts, they're not real." three psyche locks appeared. Phoenix failed to hide a scoff at the alien's lie.

"I don't think I can belive you on that one." Phoenix said as he felt for his magatama in his pocket.

"What are you getting at lawyer?" He asked looking over at him with his arms crossed and an unamused look on his face.

"Remember that magic stone I mentioned earlier? It helps me tell if people are lying. It sensed your lie through and through." Phoenix replied as he held it up for him to see. Homestuck took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh fine, fine. I'm guessing you want to know what I lied about then, isn't that right?" He said, the uplifting tone in his voice had completely petered out and was replaced with a deeper tone of annoyance.

"It would be nice to know." Phoenix replied trying to sound stern.

"Let me ask you this first, how do you know what I lied about?"

"You said ghosts weren't real, and there's your lie."

"Tch. That's a stupid thing to get busted for isn't it?"

"I would assume it is, but what are you hiding?"

"Existence itself, Phoenix." The psyche locks refreshed, only there was one more this time. Phoenix looked on at the alien with a puzzled look.

"There's a lot more you're hiding than just something about ghosts, and right now you're sort of digging yourself a hole by continuing to hide that stuff." Phoenix said. Homestuck scowled a little and looked into the woods, his arms crossed in a closed off stance and his eyes focused into the trees.

"Let's just drop this conversation, it's nothing important anyway. There's nothing that I can hide that has any importance to you." Homestuck said then began to chew his lip. Once more, the psyche locks refreshed, and again there was one more.

With a total of five locks, Phoenix began to feel even more curious as to what kind of secret he was hiding. Even if he could find some way to get it out of him, it would take a lot of badgering and probably even more evidence to get some truth out of him. Either way, whatever he was hiding must have been pretty important, for it seemed he had lied about that as well.

"... Is part of it about those trickster people?" Phoenix asked after thinking for a moment.

"Only a small portion… All I'm going to say is that usually the original versions and the sugar coated ones aren't usually walking around together at the same time. It's most of the time one or the other." Homestuck said not looking away from some spot in the woods.

"How did they get separated… Or created or whatever happened?" Phoenix asked leaning forward slightly to try to see his face. It seemed as if the troll had gone from being open and honest with him to being closed up and coldly secretive.

"They were separated from our bodies and state of mind when the Merge happened. Not just tricksters either. There's a lot more than just them, but thankfully not all of them were separated. A lot of those different personalities stayed in the same body as their origin. But I don't even know how many of them are there and if there's still some in anyone else." Homestuck said glancing over at Phoenix. He was beginning to open up once again, but it wasn't all the information to spill more secrets. In all honesty he probably could have figured out by himself, or by asking someone else.

Suddenly the two snapped back to alertness when they heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the car. Homestuck slid off the hood of the car and produced a katana sword seemingly out of thin air, though Phoenix caught a glimpse of a card-like thing that appeared just in front of him before he had the sword. He stood at the ready with the sword held firmly by both his hands. Phoenix relaxed a little when he saw Homestuck lower the sword from a readied stance and hold it by his side.

"Terezi! You're okay!" He said as Terezi stepped out of the woods. She had the noose around her neck with the end cleanly cut off. Under her each of her arms were the two dolls dressed up like him and Miles. As she got closer he could see a small tear in the side of her shit where a teal fluid ran out of a gash on her side. She walked up to Homestuck who by then had stowed his sword away again somewhere. Then she took her time to shift the Miles dragon around to her other arm, then swiftly clocked Homestuck square in the face causing him to fall back on the ground with a bright green fluid running from his nose.

"That's for not coming to help me you jackass," She growled and walked past him over to Phoenix who had backed up a little afraid of what she was going to do to him. All she did though, was take the two toy dragons out from under her arm and shove them into his chest, then cuffed him upside the head with a flick of her hand. "That's for not believing me. Now I would like my cane back please, and you can keep the dragons. They smell nice together."

He thought he saw Terez wink at him before she began to feel around the hood and side of the car for her cane. Once she had it she held the handle of it firmly and took a deep whiff of the red dragon head top of it, then began to feel her way to the passenger's side of the car.

Phoenix looked over at Homestuck who was wiping the green stuff off his face the best he could.

"Hey, I'm sorry I just didn't know what was going on in there, and I didn't want to interrupt anything important." Homestuck said as he opened the back seat door for Phoenix. Phoenix climbed into the car and stretched out in the seats feeling the relief of a soft surface supporting his ever aching body.

"You still had every right to check in on me. What were you even doing all that time?" Terezi asked. By then she had already sat down in the car. Homestuck closed the back door and made his way over to the driver's side on the right side of the car.

He said as he got in, "I … I was a little nervous if I'm honest. I'm still not used to seeing him outside of a reflection or in pictures. It's a little terrifying Terezi." He sat down in the seat and closed the door behind him.

"I know it is, but I know you can get over that fear. His weird reality bending powers aren't as bad as some others I've heard about. If one day it comes that we have to face them then you have nothing to worry about with those tricksters." Terezi said relaxing a little. She felt around for the seat belt and pulled it over her shoulder once she had a hold of it.

The clip fastened with a dull click, then Homestuck's phone began to ring. An 8-bit like tune began to play as he pulled it out of his pocket, then gulped when he saw who was a deep breath he answered the call and tentatively put the phone up to his ear.

"H-heeeeeey…" He said nervously, as smiled nervously.

"Sei così fottutamente incredibili!" A voice through the phone shouted, loud enough to be heard by Terezi and Phoenix. Homestuck flinched away and held the phone away from his ear.

"Hetalia please calm down! You're going to start ranting in another language again and I don't even know half of the ones you speak in!" Homestuck said into the end of the phone.

"Non mi interessa! Hai avuto il coraggio di andare là fuori e mettere, e la vita del tuo amico in pericolo e poi? Potevi morire! Sono livida in questa piccola bravata che hai appena tirato e ho intenzione di cazzo calci nel culo quando tornate qui perché venivano un bastardo ignorante!" The man yelled through the phone in what Phoenix assumed was Italian. Homestuck's face was an unusual shade of green and he sat there taking whatever the man on the other end was yelling at him for.

"Everything went well-"

"That's a lie." Terezi interrupted.

"Everyone is here now. Even the guy Terezi went to save. I'll be home soon after I take this guy to the hospital, he's a little beat up." Homestuck explained. The Hetalia character talked quieter now, his words now barely audible through the phone. Homestuck nodded a few times and murmured "mhm" and "okay" as well as "I'm sorry" once or twice. He said a quick goodbye and promised he'd be back home soon before he hung up and turned on the car. Maneuvering to the best of his ability, Homestuck turned the car around and began to make his way out of the woods.

After a long period of silence and trying to come up with something to say, Phoenix finally said, "Hey um… I'm no expert on aliens or wounds, but, if that teal stuff is what I think it is…"

"It'll be fine. And yes, it is blood," Terezi replied as he shifted the cloth on her shirt to cover her gash better. "They may not seem like it but those tricksters fight with tooth and nail… And techno colored sugar weapons that are more powerful than they should be."

The scenery outside of the car shifted from forest, to residential homes, to a small town, and gradually became the bustling city Phoenix was familiar with. Or at least he had thought, for the more he looked at it, the more the area had seemed to change since he was gone.

"I don't mean to sound clueless, but what city are we in?" Phoenix asked as he looked around at the buildings.

"It doesn't have an official name, but I like to call this city New Hub. It's where a lot of refugees from the Internet after the fall came and settled. It quickly became a pretty rich city, what with big-name websites being here in person with voices from the many people who use them… Or at least the websites that survived…" Homestuck began to trail off at the end. Phoenix quickly reminded himself that the troll once lived on the internet, and had probably witnessed something or the exact thing that had caused them to flee from the internet,

"Oh… Well, what websites are here right now?" Phoenix continued to question, trying to take his mind away from why they left.

"There's quite a lot, especially some of the bigger names too. The best known who came with us is Google. The only problem is half his database was deleted, so he has a little bit of amnesia. We're not sure how it all got deleted, but he's been getting better. I heard he's starting to remember things better now, except results he gives won't be 100% accurate or sometimes he doesn't even know at all." Homestuck explained.

"Any others?" Phoenix asked sitting up a little.

"You'll be quite happy to know Facebook survived. Hurrah, hurrah more selfies and statuses for everyone." He replied dully with an annoyed tone.

He muttered something under his breath then stopped in front of a large building somewhere close to the edge of the city, a large sign out front reading out "Mercy Hospital" in bold red letters. Homestuck got up from his seat and went around back to where Phoenix was sitting, then helped him out of the car.

"Thank you for driving me here, but I'll be fine from here," Phoenix said, patting the alien's shoulder then stepping aside to stand on his own. Homestuck nodded then went back over to the car. He told Phoenix to stay safe before he sat back down in the driver's seat, and then drove off.

Once he was gone, Phoenix turned to the tall building and began to walk inside. As he made his way to the door, two well dressed men wearing black suits and ties walked out of the hospital together, talking quietly to each other. One man was quite taller than the other and had soft, long, brown hair. The other had shorter, pointier hair with a shorter stature. He walked more casually than the taller man, who in turn walked as if he had purpose.

"Look, all I'm saying is that there's no way that any of these missing person cases can be so blatantly linked, especially after what happened. You know all sorts of weird things have been happening, it can't be from such a simple cause." The man who was not tall said. Their conversation stopped as soon as they neared Phoenix, as they eyed his broken and beaten body curiously.

"Are you okay sir…?" The man who was not short asked as he looked him up and down.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine… I just need to get in the hospital…" Phoenix said, his voice almost a mutter. The tall man leaned down a little and quietly said something to his friend, then stood up straight and nodded his head to him.

"If you don't mind me asking sir, but how is it that you're able to walk right now? You seem to be in pretty bad shape." He said notioning to his entire body and dirty suit.

"I honestly don't know… I guess it's a little bit of a miracle. But, why do you ask?" Phoenix asked, hoping for the conversation to end soon so he could continue on to the hospital.

"Sorry, we're just a little curious. We've been questioning some suspicious characters or any suspects to any of the missing person cases we've been investigating. We're from the FBI, my name is Agent Peters. This is my partner, Agent Smith." He explained, as each of them pulled out an FBI badge. Their lie was caught right where they stood, psyche locks appeared for him, more than Phoenix would have liked to deal with if he had to.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about any mass disappearances. I mean, I've heard about them in the news but that's all. Now if you'll excuse me um… Agents… I'd like to go to the hospital now, please." Phoenix said trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. He had enough with secrets today.

"Alright. C'mon, we should let him go. If it's okay we might come see you later, just in case." The man who was not tall said. Phoenix grunted, not as a yes or no but just in general annoyance. He walked between them, the magatama still glowing in his back pocket.

Though he did not notice, the man who was not tall nudged his partner and notioned to Phoenix's pocket. The man who was not short nodded as his partner muttered something to him about witches. The tall agent patted his partner and muttered something back as they walked to a old-looking, smooth, black car parked on the side of the road.

Phoenix didn't care though, he kept walking until he was in the building. Once inside, he stumbled over to the receptionist's desk feeling all the pain and weariness from today pull down on him. His face was pale and it was as if he could feel every bone in his body shift in painful ways.

"C-could I get some… Help please…" He breathed as he felt whatever energy he had left draining from him quickly. As soon as the receptionist had picked up the phone he felt his vision get blurry as he became very dizzy. With that his arm slid off the counter as his body was dragged down by gravity, he lay on the ground out cold.

Medical professionals rushed to aid him as they put him on a stretcher and carried him off to urgent care. As he was carried off, his mind was dark, and empty. Though he knew when he would wake, he would find out what happened last year. Whatever it would take for him to get the truth, whatever it would take for for him to try and understand.

Though he didn't know it yet, this was the beginning of something very big. This is the story of a man named Phoenix Wright.


End file.
